


Withered Briars

by yonawaru



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Gen, Trigger warnings in chapter notes, hopefully, my many many nights of watching joes streams will finally pay off, no schedule whatsoever, other nonhuman hermits but they aren't that important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24868312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yonawaru/pseuds/yonawaru
Summary: The Deep Nether is clawing its way closer and closer to the hermits. When one of their own is somehow affected by this change, they will have to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about him.nether update AND nonhuman joe? what a combination!inspired by sekrap’s “dimension reinvention” series <3
Relationships: None
Comments: 26
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

Clawed hands tapped the smooth blackstone countertop. The creature leaned forward, pitch black bones creaking. Its glowing white eyes peered into a jagged hole in the middle of the polished rock surface. Midway down the hole was a deep purple substance swirling as if it was being stirred by an invisible force. At the bottom sat the image of many mortals laughing and building together. The creature sighed. What it wouldn’t do to spend a day amongst them, just to study their fascinating behavior. How did they manage to always remain so joyous when their lives barely last longer than the blink of an eye?  
It wasn’t as if the creature was unable to visit the mortal realm—it had been there many times in fact—but the approval process was so grueling, and it wasn’t even permitted to interact with the beings that roamed the Overworld. It had spent so long perfecting its human form, only for all that hard work to go to waste.  
The creature traced its finger around the rip of the small chasm. It couldn’t hurt to stop by for a moment, could it?

~~~

Joe was awoken suddenly by one of his dogs licking his face. He groaned and grabbed his glasses from his bedside table and sat up, stretching. The dog sat at his feet with its tail wagging before padding over to the door of the lighthouse. Joe chuckled and opened the door, letting the dog bound down the steep hill to where the many wooden doghouses lay. The man pulled his communicator out of his pocket and scrolled up to see what he had missed while he slept. He sat back down on his bed as he smiled to himself over the many shenanigans the hermits somehow got into every single night. His bed was placed next to his Nether portal, a placement very odd to the others. Most built a separate structure to house their portals as the whisper-like droning the hellish gate produced was more than enough to drive them to insanity. Even Xisuma, who was able to filter out the noise through his helmet, preferred to keep his distance. Joe, however, found it comforting. It helped block out any disturbances outside (Doc was notorious for both his late nights and his loud redstone contraptions) and the whispering seemed to beckon him further and further into a dreamless sleep.  
Joe is snapped out of his train of thought when he reaches a message from earlier that morning that not only pinged him, but everyone else on the server.

_< Grian> @everyone VOTING BOOTHS ARE NOW OPEN! COME DOWN TO THE TOWN HALL TO VOTE FOR THE OBVIOUS CHOICE! #MUMBOFORMAYOR_

He rushed to his ender chest and pulled out a stack of copies of his campaign poster. He may have been the only one running for dogcatcher, but some last minute campaigning couldn’t hurt. As he jumped into his Nether portal, another important message popped up onto the screen of his communicator, but this one would be missed by the hopeful candidate.

_< Xisuma> @everyone Nobody go into the Nether until further notice! If you only see this after going into a portal, don’t worry. Just make sure you leave immediately. I’ll keep you all updated._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have chapter 2 finished and im a good chunk of the way through chapter 3!
> 
> follow me on twitter at @swapbroth if you want! i dont use that account very often and only use it to retweet hc fanart and stuff lol


	2. Chapter 2

Joe opened his eyes and was met with a magnificent sight. Strange trees with blue canopies that almost seemed to glow littered across the landscape. His portal had spawned in an area that appeared the same as the Nether he was familiar with, but the mysterious forest was placed perfectly right in front of him. _Warped forest,_ something deep within him called out names to match these new sights. It felt like home—not that Hermitcraft wasn’t his home—and he felt himself starting to tear up.  
He carefully descended the mountain the portal sat on and began to more closely examine the warped forest. Teal vines grew up out of the ground and twisted toward the netherrack ceiling. Groups of endermen dotted the scene, exchanging their precious blocks with each other. Joe pushed his glasses up his nose and got to work. He began chopping down a couple of the strange trees, just to see what kind of wood could be crafted from it. He was enamored by the blue core of the logs and could only imagine what amazing things his fellow hermits would be able to create with it. Stuffing the wood into his inventory, he ventured further into the wilderness.

~~~

_< cubfan135> has anyone seen joe recently? cleo and i are done counting the votes and we wanted to have all the candidates there when we announce the winner_

_< Tango> Nope_

_< Goodtimeswithscar> Not for a few days _

Xisuma frowned. It wasn’t uncommon for hermits to disappear for a bit, but even when Joe was focused on working he would still chime in with a witty response in the chat every once in a while. He couldn’t imagine why Joe would simply stop replying to messages, especially when he was so fixated on becoming dogcatcher. X flipped a switch on the side of his communicator and began typing in commands. According to the logs, the last time he read any messages was the morning the voting started. He was in his base then. That was a better place to start than any.

X glided down to the entrance of Joe’s winery. The berry fields had been sculpted to perfection over many long weeks and the sweet smell of the berries was almost sickening. Xisuma knocked on the door, waiting for a response. When he was met with silence he slowly opened the door, peeking inside, hoping to see his friend returning from a long mining session or something similar. X checked every room but came up short. Of course he wouldn’t be in here, the admin told himself, he’s been working on that dog sanctuary. Despite his attempt to reason with himself, his heart started to beat faster with every passing minute.  
The door to Joe’s lighthouse was open. Probably so the dogs could come and go as they pleased. Probably. Hopefully. Xisuma stepped inside the sandstone building and nearly screamed as a dog jumped up on him and barked. It got down and pawed at his boot before walking over to the Nether portal and scratched at the obsidian frame.  
“Did Joe go in there?”  
The dog whined in response and lay down on the glass floor, defeated. X groaned and tried to rub his temples through his helmet. Something was wrong with the Nether and he hadn’t yet figured it out. He had wanted to investigate for himself but the warning messages the server returned sent chills down his spine and quickly deterred him from the other dimension. Whatever had happened to Joe was not a typical case, but Xisuma was as ready as he’d ever be.

~~~

Joe stared into the flames of the furnace he had set up in a Bastion he cleared out. The piglins and hoglins had lots of meat and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. He hadn’t been exploring for _that_ long—only about an hour or two. It would take a few days for everyone to finish voting and for the votes to be counted, so he had plenty of time to do whatever he wanted. It wasn’t like there was anyone else running for dogcatcher. His victory was guaranteed and he laughed to himself over how easily he was able to trick those mortals into voting for him. Joe frowned. What was he thinking? It wasn’t like he tricked them, he just...created a problem and gave them a solution. He didn’t even really care about becoming dogcatcher—he just wanted to have some fun with his friends.  
His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy hand on his shoulder. Joe was startled at first but he quickly sprang into action. He grabbed his foe’s arm and flipped them over his shoulder, baring his teeth at whoever dared disturb him. Below him was a very shocked Xisumavoid, eyes wide behind his visor.

“Oh gosh, ‘Isuma! I’m sorry, I thought you were a piglin or somethin’.”  
“...A what?” X groaned as he shifted into a sitting position. “Joe, have you been in here all this time?”  
“Well, I was gonna head to the shoppin’ district to put up some more posters before folks started comin’ in to vote, but I ended up here! Ain’t it amazing?” Joe smiled at his friend as if he hadn’t just gone full HWF mode on him a few seconds earlier.  
“It-It’s been a week since voting started.” Xisuma only now got a good look at Joe’s face. There was something off about him. Maybe it was the way the slight bags under his eyes made it look like they were glowing, or maybe it was the fact that he was a little bit taller than the last time they spoke. X also could’ve sworn his teeth looked sharper when Joe snarled at him after slamming him to the ground.  
He blinked at Xisuma, speechless.  
“Joe, we have to get out of here. I can’t believe you would just ignore my order to stay out of the Nether.” X brushed the dirt off his armor before pulling out his communicator.  
“I...I’m sorry, ‘Isuma. I didn’t see anything about that. I was too focused on the matter of my campaign.”  
Xisuma scowled at him. “I’m going to teleport us back to your base, alright?” He typed in some numbers and hit enter.

Travel between dimensions was always a little disorientating, but command teleportation was the worst, especially when you weren’t fully prepared for it. Joe nearly lost his balance as they arrived back on the rolling hills of the winery. He shielded his eyes from the bright light of the overworld and stepped into the shade behind him.  
X turned toward Joe, “Don’t tell anyone about what you found in there. I can’t have anyone else getting lost for a week.”  
Joe looked down at his feet, embarrassed.  
“I’ll also need you to give me everything you collected from there. I still have a lot more research to do on what’s going on.”  
He reluctantly handed over the brilliant flora his inventory was overflowing with, but decided to keep a small piece of obsidian for himself. It had purple vein-like cracks all over it, with particles occasionally dripping off as if it was crying.  
“I’ll let you know what I find,” Xisuma began walking to the shore before stopping and turning slightly towards Joe. “Just...don’t go back there. Please.” The admin activated his elytra and rocketed into the horizon.

_< Xisuma> Hey guys, I found Joe. He’s been a bit ill but I think he’s fine now._

_< joehillssays> howdy! sorry for worrying y’all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 1.16 day! thisll probably be the only time ill be uploading another chapter this soon but i couldnt help myself lol
> 
> chapter 3 is almost done but it wont be up for another day or two
> 
> as before, feel free to leave any questions or constructive criticism! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: choking :)
> 
> will add future tws here (chapter pre-notes) too

Inky towers that were almost as dark as the chalky skin of its inhabitants stretched between bedrock layers far below and far above. The creature skulked through the winding alleyways that riddled the city, clutching scrolls under one of its four arms. It greeted its passing colleagues with a small wave of its long fingers, unaware of the hushed words between them as it left earshot. 

“Yllize...what a clawful. All it ever does is fawn over those stupid humans while we do all the work!”

“Exactly! I’m not sure why The Lord keeps it around. The court has no place for such oddities.”

Yillze stopped at the gate before the gnarled building. The obsidian walls were polished to perfection and the creature could see its white eyes shining back at it.

“State your name and purpose,” words echoed in its mind.

“Yllize-Hjoh, court scholar. I wish to return these materials that I borrowed from the archive.”

“You may enter.”

The gate creaked open and Yllize slinked inside. Instead of descending to the archive as it had promised, it climbed the spiraling staircase up to the peak of the tower. At the top sat a lone Nether portal. The portal was rarely guarded as only court members and royalty were allowed in the tower, and Yllize was the only one of their kind who had entered the Overworld more than a couple times. The way the sun scorched their skin was not a very pleasant experience, and creating a human form was too much work for little to no payoff. Yllize wanted the others to see the beauty of the other realm, but none were remotely interested in the colorful world. 

It set the scrolls down on the smooth ground and closed its eyes, casting the spell that would grant it a mortal body. Yllize could feel its kinked figure straighten itself into a smaller, simpler shape. It opened its eyes and gazed down at its changed hands, its light skin contrasting against the room around it. It stepped into the obsidian frame and smiled at the thought of what lay beyond. Its figure disappeared into a puff of purple particles as the swirling portal around it cracked and shattered with a wail, leaving the room ominously silent. 

~~~

Joe’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for air. His hands shook, reaching for his glasses. He had been having strange dreams the last couple nights and while they weren’t frightening by any means, something about the dark scenery gave him the chills. He grabbed the book and quill beside his bed and began taking notes on the dream.

_ \- Thin black towers _

_ \- Obsidian castle _

_ \- The court (?) _

Joe paused and stared at the paper. He thought about the menacing creatures he saw in that dream, especially the one he saw reflected back at him.

_ \- Yllize-Hjoh _

  
  
  


Joe stared at the Nether portal before him. The way the light from the lava below the glass floor shone on the black frame brought his thoughts back to the dream. He traced his finger down the glossy rock. Something inside him was drawn to the hellscape on the other side; a constant tug towards the whispers of the portal. He took a step forward before stopping. Xisuma would be furious with him for going back. However, X didn’t know how Joe felt. He couldn’t feel the ache in his soul that beckoned and begged him to return. If he knew, he would understand. It was agonizing for Joe to lay in his base feeling like there was something wrong—like he wasn’t meant to be here. He didn’t realize how empty the Overworld made him feel at times. The first time he was truly at peace was that first day in the warped forest. What he wouldn’t give to feel like that again. 

A few minutes couldn’t hurt. 

  
  
  


Joe had picked out a lovely crimson forest that overlooked a sprawling soul sand valley and began building. He constructed a small cottage out of the Nether woods nearby and he smiled as he imagined everything the humble structure could become. He could plant a Netherwart farm over there… A manual tree farm over there… So much to do, and so little time!

As the man continued construction he failed to notice the minute changes throughout his body. His already fairly dark hair grew darker, his nails grew and sharpened to form claws, and the whites of his eyes shone. The only thing he would come close to acknowledging would be the way the legs of his jeans seemed to shorten as his height gained centimeters within minutes.

His tranquility was cut short as he heard a crunch of the nylium behind him. Joe feigned ignorance so he could listen closer. The amount of time between each step was easily recognizable as a bipede trying to stay silent. It couldn’t be a piglin, as the residents of the forest seemed almost scared of the man. As the intruder creeped closer, Joe waited for the perfect moment to attack. He whipped around and grabbed it by the neck, taking a moment to evaluate the threat. A human. It reeked of void and he scowled at the scent. It struggled in Joe’s grasp as he lifted it off the ground, fist closing around its windpipe. The human was gasping for breath and made noises like it was trying to speak. Joe’s claws pierced the fabric that covered its neck and black veins snaked out from where his hand pricked its skin and he smiled at the thought of his poison destroying it from the inside out. It was sad, really. He loved these creatures but he had no mercy for those that would try to harm him. 

Joe threw his prey to the ground so he could properly see its moment of demise. It clutched its neck with one hand and with the other tried to remove its heavy helmet. It coughed painfully as it struggled to release the snaps that held it in place. Joe stood above it with piercing eyes as it threw the helmet onto the netherrack. Still struggling for air, it tried to meet his gaze but shut its teary eyes to cough with shallow breaths before it attempted to speak again. 

“*cough* Joe—*cough* wha-what are you doing?! It’s me—it’s Xisuma-*cough* I’ve just come to take you back home!” Xisuma wheezed with a shaky hand still clutching his neck.

Joe blinked, the glow behind his eyes disappearing. He backed away slowly from the hermit, realizing the gravity of what he had done. What was wrong with him? Why had he nearly killed one of his best friends without even having a second thought? stopping. He looked down at his hands with teary eyes. Xisuma’s breaths evened out and he put his helmet back on, avoiding eye contact with Joe.

“I’m so sorry,” Joe’s voice cracked. 

X sighed, “We’re going to have to talk about what to do with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing dialogue for joe is so fucking hard
> 
> anyway feel free to leave any constructive criticism :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw violence (no blood or gore tho!)
> 
> also i know im not good at writing joe but i was stuck on this chapter for a long time because of him lol

Xisuma stirred his cup of tea absentmindedly. Joe’s cup remained untouched; he wasn’t the biggest fan of tea in the first place and the uncomfortable situation made it even more unpalatable. 

“Are ya gonna ban me…?” Joe’s voice was almost a whisper, his mind in a completely different place. A different dimension, even.

“No, Joe,” X laughed and shook his head, “I’m not going to ban you. We just need to discuss what to do going forward.”

Joe stared down at his legs and sighed, “I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t either, this is new for both of us. Just know that I would only ever ban you if I felt like you were a danger to yourself and to others.”

“But I’m a danger to everyone here. ‘Isuma, I tried to choke you.” Joe’s gaze remained fixed downward, watching small drops darken the fabric of his pants. “How do y’know I won’t attack you right now?”

“I know you, Joe. I’ve known you longer than most of the others here. You would never purposefully hurt someone you love. Whatever it was that grabbed me, it wasn’t you.”

Joe’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold in his tears. He placed his glasses on the table between them and wiped his eyes. His words remained stuck in his throat, so Xisuma continued.

“I’d love to just send you back to your base but you and I both know that wouldn’t be very wise. What would you say to helping out the others with some odds and ends for a few days? Just until we figure out what’s going on.” X smiled at the other man, face hidden by his helmet but his voice made it evident. “I’ve already asked around if anyone has anything you could help with, and Cub seems open to the idea. Is this alright with you?”

Joe nodded, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Cub’s energy was contagious and Joe knew it would help him bring his mood back up. 

The next morning, Joe and X stood at the front of Cub’s starter base with his massive pyramid towering in the distance. Xisuma squeezed Joe’s shoulder to help ease his nerves. Cub waltzed out of the door, looking confident as ever in his pharaoh costume. 

“Hey fellas, glad ya could make it! You guys want the grand tour?” Cub grinned and gestured to the goliath of a base behind him. 

X waved his hand dismissively, “Sorry, I still have a lot of work to do today. I’ll leave you guys to it, then. If there's any problems make sure to call me, awright?”

Cub gave a thumbs-up and stepped aside to let Joe inside. He showed him all the incredible contraptions and buildings he had constructed so far in the season, especially proud of the pyramid which was larger than Joe’s entire vineyard. Clouds phased through the ceiling near the top of the structure, and Joe could barely make out a layer of gold at the peak. 

“So…… ya wanna help me craft some kelp blocks?” Cub gestured to the half-finished walls. Joe looked up at him and smiled, nodding. 

Crafting the blocks was nice; it let Cub and Joe catch up and chat over the menial task which helped distract Joe from the voices echoing in his head. They laughed over memories of previous seasons and they both felt closer than ever before. Cub opened one of the chests and peered inside.

“Uh oh, looks like we’re outta dried kelp.”

“Ugh… This is so tedious, can’t we take a break and do somethin’ fun?” Joe groaned, lying down on the cold sandstone. 

“CubPharaoh never rests! My people need me!” Cub grinned and hopped up to his feet. 

Joe reached over and grabbed Cub’s leg as he started walking, tripping him. “Your people don’t deserve a leader like you! They deserve a handsome fella like me, Joseph Mountains!” Joe smirked playfully at his fallen friend. 

“Oh no, Sir Mountains, my lifetime nemesis! You will never best me, for I have the power of the pyramid at my side!” Cub suppressed a laugh and dusted off his robe.

“It will soon be my pyramid, and your empire will be mine!” Joe let out his best evil laugh, despite it sounding like his worst.

“Then we shall duel for it!” The pharaoh unsheathed his sword before looking at his opponent for approval to PvP. Joe felt something ignite within him at the sight of the blade, and nodded, his canines and nails sharpening unbeknownst to him. Cub launched a very telegraphed attack, expecting Joe to pull out his own weapon. Joe reached out and grabbed the blade with his bare hand, his thoughts fading. The sword barely cut into his hand and he tightened his grip. Cub tried to pull it back but Joe’s hold was too strong. Despite the sword's enchantments, it began to crack under the pressure. It split in two, with many small shards scattering in all directions. 

“Uh… Joe…” Cub looked up at him, fear in his eyes. However, he could not see his friend within the piercing eyes of the man before him. He let go of his broken weapon and backed up, reaching for his communicator. Joe couldn’t let that happen. He tackled Cub to the ground, pinning his arms down.

“What the hell are you doing, man?!” Cub’s voice shook slightly, despite how much he did not want to show how terrified he was. Xisuma had told him that Joe was dangerous, but never elaborated further. He closed his eyes, bracing himself.

_ < cubfan135 was mauled by joehillssays > _

_ <impulseSV> Totems of Undying in stock at Impulses ‘Em and Em’ Emporium! _

_ <Stressmonster101> O_O _

_ <falsesymmetry> gg _

Joe felt his hands touch down on the sandstone when they weren’t a second ago, snapping him out of his trance. Scattered around him were Cub’s items, and his inventory was filled with them too. The past couple minutes were a blur but Joe could remember Cub’s horrified face as clear as day. He had just killed Cub.

_I would only ever ban you if I felt like you were a danger to yourself and to others_.

Xisuma’s words echoed in his mind and he hugged his legs into his chest. There was no longer any question if he was endangering the others. Cub would never want to talk to him ever again, but it was likely Joe would never even see Cub again. Any second now he would be banned. Where would he go? Would he drift through the void for the rest of eternity? Would he-

“Joe!” Cub appeared behind him, worry in his eyes. Joe screamed and scrambled backwards.

“Get away from me, Cub! I’ll just kill you again,” his voice cracked and he began sobbing. Cub ran to him and pulled him into a hug. Joe took off his glasses and pushed his face into Cub’s top, crying into it for what felt like an eternity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think ive finished outlining this fic! u may notice theres now a total number of chapters :)  
> sorry ive been slow to update btw! im currently preparing for my bf to move in with me and in a couple days ill be driving halfway across the country to get him but i might finish writing while im getting a break from driving lol
> 
> thank u for reading and, as always, feel free to leave any questions or constructive criticism below! <3


	5. Chapter 5

Joe sat in his bedroom, the windows dark from the trapdoors covering them. He didn’t want anyone to see him, let alone visit him. It had been a few days since the incident with Cub. The small changes throughout his body that has previously gone unnoticed had progressed exponentially. His hair was pitch black, his hands were tinted the same color, and his eyes glowed white like flashlights in the darkness. He was also now almost too tall to fit through his doorways. Whispers in a garbled language echoed in the back of his head, threatening to drive him mad. His dreams grew worse with each night, and he would wake up with the smoky smell of the obsidian city still lingering in his nose.

The moon rose outside and his dogs howled from their sanctuary. Joe crawled into bed, not realizing how tired he was until his head hit the pillow and he dove into a deep sleep.

-

Yllize-Hjoh groaned, its face squished against the pillow beneath its head. It rubbed its eyes and looked around. The room it was in was small and crafted from wooden planks. It got out of the bed and stretched. The last thing it could remember was going through the portal to the overworld. The transition is usually smooth, but Yllize had learned to never trust Wither-made contraptions not crafted by their own hands. 

Its thoughts were interrupted by a knock on a door. Yllize initially ignored it and assumed the player who lived here would answer it, but the solicitor knocked again, louder this time. The Wither wandered aimlessly around the convoluted building until it reached what it assumed to be the front door. Upon opening it it was greeted by a female zombie with long ginger hair. She did not seem amused.

“There you are! I’ve been trying to message you all morning but you haven’t answered a single one of my texts,” she crossed her arms and glared at Yllize. “I was worried, you idiot!”

Yllize fidgeted with its claws, unsure of who this person was or what her problem was. She must be confusing it for someone else. “I—um—I am sorry. Are you perhaps looking for the owner of this place?”

The zombie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, “What are you going on about? This is your winery! Don’t try to blame this on someone else.”

“Oh, I see! Remind me again what I did wrong, miss?” Yllize smiled at the stranger, trying to appear non threatening.

She rolled her eyes, “Why are you so formal today? Anyway, I was just checking up on you after what happened with Cub the other day. No one’s heard from you since and everyone was worried you were still upset over it. Cub’s fine now, and we know it was an accident, so no ones mad. We just want you to be safe,” she grabbed Yllize’s hands, making it tense up.

Now it knew that she had to be mistaken. It had never met this “Cub” nor had any recollection of being here before. Yllize grinned and realized it couldn’t hurt to play along. It had always wanted to research mortals up close and now it finally had the chance! “Ah yes, I remember now! How could I forget? I sure am relieved that ‘Cub’ is alright. I am doing fine as well! How are you, my good friend?” Yllize gave as genuine of a smile that it could, but to others it looked mildly creepy.

“I’m…. good,” the zombie frowned at her friend, “I think you could use a break from the server. I know this is practically your only home but it couldn’t hurt to leave for a little bit. The other Hermits and I have been discussing it and we could find you a nice place to stay while you’re gone.”

“Oh, I see. This may be a foolish question, but…. am I a ’Hermit’ as well?”

The zombie gasped. “Of course you are, you dolt! I think that’s the stupidest question you’ve ever asked me, which is saying a lot.” She sighed, “Just…. think about my offer for a bit then let X know your decision, alright? And make sure you check your communicator!” She turned around and started down the path and looked back once more before taking off with a rocket. Yllize waved hesitantly and closed the door once she disappeared over the horizon. 

-

_ <ZombieCleo —> Xisuma: Hey X, what would you say if I told you Joe was possessed?> _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh its been a while! my boyfriend moved in with me in july and ive been pretty busy since then sooo yeah lol
> 
> thanks so much for your patience and sorry if this chapter sucked :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we’re back...... again!

“So…. you think Joe is possessed?” Xisuma looked quizzically at the woman sitting across from him. The pair was at her base since she actually had a picnic table for them to sit at. Xisuma eyed the glassy-eyed cod-headed statues around him, trying to ignore their unnerving stares. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but trust me.” Cleo idly picked at the grain of the wooden table. She had called Xisuma over shortly after messaging him, being understandably worried about Joe’s strange behavior. “The way he talked was weirder than usual, he called me ‘miss’, and he wasn’t even wearing his glasses! Something’s definitely possessed him or taken over his body.”

Xisuma sighed. “That does sound concerning. If you’re right then I assume whatever has… ‘taken over’ is what attacked Cub as well.”

“Yeah,” Cleo nodded, “What Cub described doesn’t seem like a human reaction whatsoever. I’d never seen or heard of that death message before. What did it say again—‘mauled’?” The thought of her best friend acting in such a violent way nauseated her, but she was also filled with confusion and curiosity. What was this thing possessing Joe? What did it want with him? What did it want from Hermitcraft?

“I’m lucky I made it out alive when he attacked me. If I hadn’t been prepared for the worst I would’ve ended up the same as Cub.” X shuddered thinking about the encounter. He had known Joe for years, and the look in his eyes was nothing he had ever seen in any hermit. “I really don’t want to have to ban him… but that might be the best option we have.”

Cleo’s demeanor wilted at the possibility of Joe having to leave. “Is there really no other way? We can’t just—just exorcise him or something!?”

“At this point, it’s less of a last resort and more because he’s a danger to the server. Cub is still recovering from his wounds and we still have no idea what we’re up against.”

“X, we wouldn’t be alone if we had to fight him. There’s an entire server full of capable fighters here. It can’t beat all of us.”

“That’s true, but there’s no way I’m making everyone put their lives on the line, even to save a fellow hermit. If we have to fight it, we need to do some reconnaissance first, awright?” 

Cleo let go of a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, “God, thank you, X. I promise you we’ll save Joe. We can’t give up yet.”

~~~

Yllize stared into its eyes through a small mirror it had found in a chest. It looked how it usually did during missions to this realm. It spent centuries perfecting the look of an ordinary, unassuming human but rarely got the chance to admire its handiwork. A few things were off, though. It had retained the glowing white eyes of a Wither along with dark claws at its fingertips, and its form looked like it had not shaved in a while. Most other Withers did not take the time for their mortal bodies to be able to age and grow as real mortals did, but Yllize had been petitioning the Wither Court to allow it to perform a long-term research mission and wanted to be as prepared as possible. It would be suspicious if it was the only mortal that remained unchanged by the erosion of time. 

Yllize closed its eyes and cast the spell to restore its form to its once-pristine condition. It opened its eyes and examined its body, making sure everything was proper again.

“Perfect.” It smiled to itself, imitating what it had seen so many humans do before. It was strange how shabby its form had appeared before. Yllize knew that it would never let itself reach that worn state, and chalked it up to a problem with the portal. 

Now that it thought about it, it had never spawned in such a way before. Usually it spawned in an empty world, but this one was not only filled with structures, it was inhabited by players as well. That zombie player had spoken with Yllize as if she knew it, and mentioned things it had been involved in that it did not recall. 

The Wither groaned. Those portals were so old that something was bound to happen eventually.

_ Knock Knock _

Yllize was startled by the sudden noise, before remembering that there were others who lived in this world. It made its way to what it remembered to be the front door, took a deep breath, and opened it. 

Outside on the porch were three players; the zombie from before, one with a helmet imitating the face of a bee, and one rather ordinary looking human with short dark hair and a red piece of fabric tied around his head. They were all clad in full-body armor colored a shiny light blue. 

The bee spoke first, “Well hello there, my friend!” His voice sounded slightly on edge, but Yllize did not notice. “We just came to check up on you and make sure you were alright.”

“Yes, of course! My…” It paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “...My fellow hermits! Come in, come in!” It stepped aside and beckoned for the others to enter. 

The human whispered something to the bee and the bee replied to him, both of them staring down Yllize. The trio cautiously stepped inside. 

“You’re looking a lot better today,” the zombie starts, hand on the hilt of her sword, “I haven’t seen you this clean-shaven since we first met.”

“Well I… I had to look my best for my friends, did I not?” Yllize put on its biggest smile it could, confident in its ability to trick the simple-minded mortals. 

The zombie chuckled, “Fair point. Why don’t we have a seat somewhere so we can relax and… catch up?” She shot a glance at the others. 

“Ah, yes! Where are my manners? Right this way” Yllize turned around, racking its mind for somewhere it could take them to sit before hearing a yell.

“Bdubs, now!”

Before the Wither could turn around it was whacked on the end with the brunt end of one of their swords.

It collapsed to the ground and everything went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoopsies i didnt mean to take that long of a break
> 
> originally this was gonna be 7 chapters but i dont want to rush the ending lol
> 
> as always, let me know your thoughts!
> 
> (also if you see me call yllize they instead of it pls lmk so i can fix it<3)


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